THE FUTURE OF AD AGENCIES MIGHT NOT BE ADVERTISING AT ALL

There's been a lot of talk in the agency industry about rising competition from consultancies such as Accenture, McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group. R/GA has stared this threat in the face and is challenging the consultancies at their own game. In an industry that’s quickly and constantly changing thanks to technological innovation and consumer behavior, R/GA chairman and CEO Bob Greenberg sees self-disruption as a key business operating principle, one that has served the company well in the past and will ensure its survival in the future.

"The consulting business is not going to disrupt R/GA," said Chairman and CEO Bob Greenberg. But "R/GA will disrupt the consulting business." He added: "R/GA never stops restructuring. We never stop investing in new things. And we never stop connecting them together." Founded in 1977 as a computer-assisted filmmaking company, R/GA has evolved into an interactive agency, and now a consulting and ventures practice.

For Greenberg, the key is to never view the company as a finished product. The company works well outside the traditional ad agency purview. It has an ongoing tech venture program, whilst still pushing boundaries with their marketing work.